


17. Vengeance

by IvyNyx



Series: One Hundred Descendants [3]
Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 17:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8066806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyNyx/pseuds/IvyNyx
Summary: King Adam sent them to the Isle, despite his son saving the Villain kids Adam still doesn't see what was wrong with the Isle. An off handed comment over dinner pushes Mal a touch too far causing her to let him witness just how pleasant Isle life was for the four of them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! This is part of a new series! It will be 100 stories based from a list of prompts I have, I have decided to post it out of order. Basically as I finish a story I will post it (rather than how I did A-Z which was alphabetical). None of the stories are inter-related, they are one shots, mostly jayos (because that's what I like). ANYWAY! First up, Vengeance, I hope you like it!

“Mom and dad want us to go to lunch at their place tomorrow” Ben told Mal. The purple haired woman groaned.  
“Can't we do anything else, like maybe play leap frog with unicorns?” Mal suggested.  
“Oh it's not that bad” Ben said.  
“We've been together almost five years and they still treat me like I'm going to curse them into oblivion at any moment, well your dad does. Your mom hasn't been too bad.” Mal said, in truth she loved her mother in law, her father in law though she'd like to shove him in a cage for a few hours.  
“You'll survive love, and who knows maybe someday you will curse him into oblivion. Might be good for him” Ben said absently.

 

“I mean surely the Isle wasn't that bad, you and your friends turned out just fine, a little clingy, but fine” Adam said over dinner. Belle kicked him under the table, Ben stared at his father, he was always a little hostile but that was just uncalled for. He watched Mal, the Isle was still an extremely sore spot for her. Ben knew her and her friends had spent part of their night on the phone together due to a thunderstorm scaring them all.

“Yep, we're great” she said with a huge fake smile, “In fact I think you should get to see just how nice the Isle was.”  
Before anyone could move she muttered a soft spell which made Adam fall asleep in his seat.  
“What did you do?” Ben asked instantly.  
“He'll get to watch as an impartial third party to four memories. One from each of us.” Mal said, not even close to sorry.  
“That might actually be good for him” Belle said.  
“Yeah, it's gonna be really bad for my health when Carlos and Jay find out though.” Mal said with a small frown.  
“Carlos I can see” Ben had been told a few bits of the freckled boys past, “why Jay?”  
“You've seen him protect 'Los against strangers, it's even worse when he's protecting him from me or Evie”  
“So we won't tell them” belle said.  
“They'll feel the magic, we've used that spell before, usually on Carlos when he can't talk about something it lets us see it rather than hear it. It's extremely unpleasant to say the least.” Mal said.  
“But it's just a memory, maybe it'll take a good one” Belle said.  
Mal laughed, but it was a hollow sound, “something tells me Evie's best day on the Isle about equals Adams' worst. But it'll be up to whoever gets hit first which memories it takes, I was hoping it would pick me, but it didn't” her cell phone chirped from her pocket. “Excuse me, I have to go get yelled at” She said standing and walking into the corner of the room.

Ben flinched when he heard Carlos's voice over the phone from twenty feet away, that boy did have his mothers mouth.  
“She should turn the volume down on her phone”  
“I think she did, Carlos tends to be very loud when he's mad”  
“I didn't think he ever got mad” Belle said thinking of the calm boy she knew.  
Ben chuckled, “Oh he does, and it's impressive.”

Mal tucked her phone away and walked back to the table, she was even paler than usual.  
“What time is your funeral?”  
“When he wakes up” Mal said with a nod at her father in law, “Carlos got hit first and thought it was just me being nosy, so he picked up his worst memory to feed the spell. Carlos isn't even mad, once I told him what happened he said it was about time I made him see reason, even if my methods are a bit harsh.”  
“So how long until he comes to?” Ben asked.  
“A few hours.” Mal said.  
“In that case, shall we retire to the living room and leave him to his nap? Maybe Mal can fill us in on a lighter version of what he's seeing” Belle suggested.  
Mal nodded and Ben stood.

Meanwhile Adam found himself standing in a small room, it held a vanity with ornate mirror and a shelf full of wigs. One corner had a lopsided chest of drawers while another held something that may have been a bed, but it lacked pillows and blankets. Laying on the bed was a small boy, it took Adam a moment but the black and white hair was rather distinctive, he realized he was looking at a younger Carlos De Vil. From there it didn't take him long to realize Mal must have done something to cause this.

A small whimper from the bed drew his attention back to the small boy. Carlos had rolled over causing his threadbare shirt to ride up, it revealed a series of red welts and small circular burns. Adam looked away, the child only looked to be seven or eight, there was no way that much damage had been accidental. He'd been told a thousand times Carlos had it the worst on the Isle and he knew the child was abused, but he hadn't expected anything like this. Little did he know he hadn't seen anything yet.

The door was thrown open to admit Cruella, she kicked the bed once, Carlos didn't seem to notice, the next kick was to his ribs. Adam watched him get out of bed and look at the floor, no words were said as Cruella sat on the bench in front of the vanity. Carlos immediately set to work fixing her hair and applying her make up. Adam watched as the boy knelt to work on his mothers feet before sliding on her signature red shoes and standing up. He still didn't look up, just walked silently out of the room. Adam followed him to the kitchen. Inside the boy was busy cooking, Adam watched him look over his shoulder at the door before climbing on the counter to get down a plate. Adam wondered why he only took down one, but almost knew he didn't really want the answer. Carlos set the food on the table and poured a cup of coffee, before looking at a piece of paper next to the coffee pot. He seemed to shrink before looking away and picking up a sponge. Adam watched him start to scrub the already spotless floor.

Obviously the people here couldn't see or hear him, but maybe he could help Carlos with his chores. He went to read the list and gasped, there was no way one child could be expected to do all of that in a day. He reached for a sponge, his hand went right through it. Resigned to do nothing but watch, that's what he did. Carlos scrubbed the floor with an efficiency Adam didn't think any of his staff had. He started wiping down the counters when his mother came in, Carlos still did nothing to acknowledge her.  
She sat the the table without a word, one bite of food later she moved to stand over Carlos.

“Why is my breakfast cold?” she demanded. Carlos looked like a deer in the headlights, as if he wanted to run but knew it would be worse if he did.  
“I tried, but you didn't come down behind me” Carlos said his voice was scratchy as if he never used it.  
“I tried” Cruella mocked him. “Really you stupid child it's not difficult. You turn the stove on” she reached past him and turned on the front burner. “Then you put the food on” she reached out and grabbed his wrist, he didn't even try to pull away as she held his hand onto the hot burner. A soft whimper fell from his lips, but other than that he made no sound. She shoved his hand back towards him and turned off the stove. “I expect better, now stay out of my sight” Cruella snarled while dumping the food into the garbage.

Carlos walked out of the kitchen holding his burned hand close to his chest. He slipped into a bathroom and ran it under cold water that came out brown and didn't look to be clean at all. When he was done he went to his room and rummaged through the broken chest of drawers, he came up with a winter glove that he pulled on, wincing as the fabric rubbed the burn. He immediately went down stairs and got a mop and bucket, Adam watched him mop the entire house, he was in the living room when Cruella came in. Wordlessly the woman looked at the half of the room Carlos hadn't moped yet and walked over to kick over the bucket he was working with. Adam winced at the sound of metal on stone. Adam knew what Ben would have done in that situation at that age. Carlos didn't say a word though, he silently bent to pick the bucket up, he swept the mop through the water and wrung it back into the bucket. After a moment his mother shoved him for no apparent reason, he fell into the puddle. Still silently he stood and went back to work while she walked away.

Adam spent the next six hours watching Carlos do chores no other child would have been expected to do. From cleaning the chimney to fluffing his mothers furs, with each task Cruellea would have harsh words or actions for her son. Finally Carlos went to his mother who was lounging on the couch with her cigarette holder in her hand.  
“I'm all done the chores” he said, still not looking at her.  
“Well then fuck off until morning” she said not even looking at her only son. Adam wanted to sigh, that had to be the end of the memory, but as Carlos left the memory didn't dissolve so he followed the boy. Walking through the Isle was a real eye opener, it was a wreck. Carlos was slipping between barrels and shadows, no one paid the boy any mind, if they even saw him. Adam walked along and tried not to cringe as the villains around him literally walked through him.

He watched Carlos duck into a storefront and followed him, he walked around then walked out, heading in the direction of home. He ducked into the first alley he came to and pulled a loaf of moldy bread out of his pocket. Adam was surprised he hadn't seen the child take anything. Suddenly a shadow fell across the mouth of the alley. In seconds Carlos was pinned to the wall by an older boy with long black hair. Adam moved to see the kids face and gasped, much like Carlos there was no mistaking Jay as a child. He started to wonder why Jay had pinned the smaller boy when the sound of skin on skin sounded.  
“Can't you even steal worth a fuck?” Jay asked him while punching him. Carlos had curled into a ball, his arms over his head, Jay snatched up the bread and tucked it onto his person, Adam never did figure out how he hid things so well.  
“Come on, I haven't eaten in days” Carlos whined so softly Adam wasn't even sure he'd actually spoken. He watched Jay look around him, suddenly there was a chunk of bread in Carlos's hand. He ate it in two bites.  
“I can't do more” Jay said still looming over the other boy.  
“I know, thanks” Carlos said, his voice still near a whisper, he tipped his head back and smiled at Jay, the thief smiled back and for just a second Adam saw the two boys he knew. Then Jay's fist snapped out and hit Carlos in the face, causing a split lip and a bloody nose. Carlos spit blood on the ground, “I hate our lives”.  
“Me too” Jay agreed.

Suddenly the world went black, at first Adam thought a new memory would start in a moment, then he realized this was the memory. He was in small dark room, as his eyes adjusted he was a grand bed the figure laying on it was surrounded by pillows and blankets. Much like the last memory he watched, the door was flung open disturbing the occupants sleep.  
“Up Evie, beauty takes time!”  
Adam cringed at the Evil Queens high pitched sing song voice, that could get on your nerves quickly. Evie got out of bed, Adam noticed she seemed to be about the same age Jay had been, her nightgown though was in very good shape, it could have belonged to any child in Auradon and not looked out of place, unlike the clothes the boys had.

Evie and her mother left the room for a large bathroom, Adam stood off to the side while Evie applied her make up. After what felt like hours Evie turned around to show her mother what she'd accomplished, despite her mother having watched her every move.  
“Awful, absolutely horrid” Evil Queen said, “do it over again”.  
Adam stared while Evie wiped her make up off and started again. That happened four times before Evil queen deemed it good enough. They walked into the kitchen where Evil Queen made them both breakfast, the queen had a plate filled with stale pastries and an apple. Evie's had n badly bruised apple with one pastry. Evie said nothing and started to eat, her mother quickly correcting her posture and critiquing her every move. Adam winced, when he'd first met the girl he'd been impressed with her upbringing, seeing it first hand he felt sick. Even Ben who was the king hadn't been expected to be perfectly proper at all meals, certainly not at breakfast, hell Adam was grateful if his son made it out of his pajamas in the morning, never mind chewing with his mouth closed or keeping his elbows off the table.

He watched their day continue, after breakfast were lessons on holding court and royal lineage. Adam watched Evie flawlessly recite decrees that he didn't even remember without looking at them. He assumed Evil Queen would at least praise her daughter for that, instead he listed to the woman snap at her, “men want your beauty not your brain, why can't you do this well at your make up!”. As lunch approached Evil Queen offered her daughter a chance to go into town, he could tell from the way the girls eyes lit up that was a rare treat.  
“All you need to do is apply your make up, correctly this time” Queen told her daughter. Lunch is two sandwiches on moldy bread with some potato chips for Queen and another apple with half a sandwich for Evie. After lunch Evie ran up the stairs only to have her mother yell “ladies don't run!” behind her. She slowed to a walk, rolling her eyes when her mother couldn't see.

She quickly wiped off the make up and started re-applying it. Adam watched her wipe it off and try again. Finally she deemed it perfect and went to show her mother, Adam couldn't find anything wrong with it and silently hoped the girl would get to go to town, maybe he'd get to see her with another kid, like he'd had with Carlos.  
“Useless, absolutely horrific! What would posses you to use that shade on your eyes!”  
“It's the same color I used this morning!” Evie blurted out.  
“That was teal, this is clearly aqua!”  
“They're the same color!” Evie said clearly exasperated.  
“Teal is greenish, aqua is blueish! They are not the same!”  
“You just don't want to let me into town! Day in and day out I have to stay in this hell hole.” Evie sounded as if she'd had this fight a few thousand times before.  
“We're banished!” Evil Queen shrieked, “even if we weren't your too damn ugly to go out!”  
Adam watched Evie run from the room, tears falling from her eyes.

Adam followed the girl, the Evie he knew suddenly made more sense. He never knew why Mal would drop most other plans to accompany her friend to the mall, beach or other day trip, but if this had been Evie's life, it made sense she'd want to go out a lot.

Suddenly the room shifted and he was standing in the shop he'd followed Carlos in to. A small boy with short jet black hair stood in front of a man that was closer to the Jafar of legends. Jay was steadily emptying his pockets, a pile of things on the table in front of him already much higher than the small boy should have been able to hide in his clothes.  
“Useless, worthless, fake” Jafar sorted through the stuff, “you spend the whole day running the streets and you can't get anything worth while!” the smack that sounded made Adam flinch but not nearly as much as what happened next.  
“What would your mother say?” Jafar asked, his voice cheerful as if asking Jay if he'd like dessert. “She gave her life for you, and you can't even make use of it.”  
“I'll try harder Baba” the small boy said, “I had a necklace but Maleficence's brat stole it from me” he said. Adam flinched, he knew Jay was probably trying to direct the anger away from him, but that didn't seem like a good idea.  
“And how would a mere fairy get something away from the best thief on the Isle?” Jafar asked his son. Jay didn't answer, he just stared at the floor. Adam was starkly reminded of the way Carlos had stood near his mother. The first punch to Jay's stomach told him just how similar it was.

“You know better than to let someone close enough to steal from you!” Jafar growled while punching and kicking the small boy in front of him. After a few minutes he stopped and went upstairs, leaving the small boy by himself. Adam watched Jay stand on shaky legs and go back through what he'd brought in that day. After a moment he swiped his arm across the desk making the things clang loudly against the wall and floor before walking over to a pile of rugs in the corner of the shop. Adam watched him reach between the wall and the rugs to pull up a tattered blanket. He moved closer, the memory hadn't let him go yet, so there must me more to see.

“Some day I'll be stronger than you” Jay said softly, “then you'll be sorry you messed with me.” Adam watched him run his fingers over the small gold hoop in his ear, a habit he had even as an adult. “Mama would be proud of me no matter what.”  
Adam watched the room dissolve, he knew Mal was last, after the last three he was almost afraid what he'd learn about the cocky, sarcastic girl his son fell in love with.

He was standing in a living room Mal and Maleficent were in front of him, Mal looked the same as she had when she came to Auradon. They were already in the middle of a screaming match.  
“Like hell, if they help me they are going to be more than fucking slaves!”  
“Mal, Mal, Mal. Friends are just a weakness, minions are hardly more useful. At the top you don't need anyone!” maleficent said shaking her head, speaking as if Mal was an infant.  
“I won't back down. If they help me steal the wand they rule with us, I don't care if it's under us in little towns, the help us raise to power I will help them raise too” Mal said.  
Adam smirked, well that certainly hadn't changed any.  
“I knew I should have forbidden you from befriending those urchins!”  
“Why mother, because you know the four of us are more powerful than you, because you know we have something you never will?” Mal said. Adam watched Maleficent smack her daughter, Mal's head whipped to the side with the impact.  
“You will never be more powerful than me!”  
Adam did laugh at that thinking of the Gecko that Mal still had as a pet, Mal may not be but the four of them were.  
“I will mother, Jay swore he'd overpower his father and he did, Jafar is practically his bitch. Evie swore she'd overcome her mothers brainwashing, and she has, she runs the streets with us like it's natural. Carlos swore he'd escape his mother, and he is going to fucking Auradon with us. I swear I will rule with my friends and you will be absolutely nothing!” Mal's eyes glowed green as she spoke, her voice deathly calm.

Adam watched, but couldn't understand how this was her worst memory. If he'd been standing against Maleficent he'd have counted it as one of the best days of his life.

Maleficent glided across the floor and pinned Mal to the wall by her throat. “You are nothing without me.”  
“No mother!” Mal said, her voice hoarse as if she was having trouble breathing. “Without me you are nothing, you have no other way into Auradon”. Maleficent loosed her grip a little.  
“Don't fool yourself child, we can get in. I know that De Vil brat weakened the dome. I know it is possible to break through”.  
Mal started laughing, “You think you can get anything from them? I own them mother. I say jump they ask how high, if you kill me they won't so much as look at you.”  
“Oh my dear you underestimate me. You may be powerful, but that is because you are my child. Alone you are nothing. Everything you think you own is really mine. One word from me and you'll be going to Auradon alone. How do you think Jay will do without your protection?” Adam watched Mal's eyes dim. “How about Evie if you're not there to distract EQ, or Carlos when he doesn't have you to bandage him up?”

Adam watched Mal's eyes dim back to their usual color. He cringed, he knew her friends were her greatest strength, he'd never thought that they might be her weakness too. Then they flared back glowing brighter than before.

“Screw them. I'll rule with you they can figure out their own lives” Mal said. Adam stared, but Maleficent smiled.  
“Wonderful, would you like help to get the wand, or can you do it alone?”  
“Alone, but send them with me, otherwise it will be suspicious. I don't care what you tell them” Mal said.  
“Excellent, I'll gather them immediately.” Adam watched her talk to a goblin, less than ten minutes later Jay walked in followed by Jafar, Evil Queen lead Evie in and Cruella literally drug Carlos along with her.

Adam watched Maleficent tell them that they were to steal the wand while in Auradon so that she could combine it with her staff to control everything. Mal spoke out to ask what was in it for them, maleficent smirked and said “hers and hers matching crowns”.

“I think she means us” Jay said.  
“Oh she doesn't care what happens to you” maleficent said.  
“Why should I, after all, there's no team in I” Mal said, quoting Jay's line back at him.  
Adam watched, suddenly he understood how this was her worst memory. He watched Jay look up at her in disbelief before he glanced to Carlos, the pale boy was staring at the ground a shiny speck on his nose showed he was crying silently. Evie just stared, her face not giving anything away.  
“There is an 'A' hole though, come on guys.” Jay said walking for the door, Evie followed him, but Cruella didn't let go of Carlos. Jay spun to look at her, “either you remove your hand or I do it for you” he growled softly. To Adams shock she let go of him, Carlos stood next to Evie, slightly behind Jay.  
Adam watched the thief look to the purple haired girl and ask her, “That's it?”.

“Of course that's it, fuck off I'll see you when we go to Auradon.” Mal said, Adam hadn't ever heard her speak like that to Jay, even in their sibling like arguments. He watched Jay hook his arm around Carlos' shoulders and walk out. Evie was right on their heels. Maleficent dismissed the adults, reminding them to make sure the kids arrived to go to Auradon. Mal went up to her room, Adam followed. Inside it looked like a purple paint bomb had gone off. Laying innocently on the bed was a red beanie, with a dog tail key chain and a golden necklace with a red apple on it. Adam would recognize the items anywhere and could tell you the owners as easily as his own name. He watched Mal pick the items up and turn them over in her hands before she stuffed the tail and necklace into the hat and put them inside a backpack.  
“I can't believe they thought I really meant it.” she whispered to the silent room, Adam watched the tears fall and understood, this was her worst memory because her friends were everything and she'd just lost them and she didn't know that they'd manage to fix things. As Mal collapsed on her bed, Adam could see the sobs shaking her.

With a jerk he was back sitting at his own table in his castle. A look around told him he was alone, something he was grateful for. He'd had to admit he was wrong many times in his life but never before had he been giving such unsettling evidence before he admitted he was wrong. He was sure the Isle kids were raised as their parents protegees, he hadn't expected things to be great, but that was sickening at best. With a sigh he stood, he didn't know if Mal and Ben would still be there, but he needed to talk to his daughter in law, even if he had to go to their castle to do it.

While Adam took in the sights of the Isle, Carlos Jay and Evie gravitated to Mal, Belle was happy to see the youths. Mal had told her which memories Adam was most likely to see, as well as a few others. She watched the brown haired woman pull Carlos and Jay into a hug with tears in her eyes. Seeing her friends confusion she told them, “I told her about the Isle, probably even more than Adam is getting to see”. Evie was next to get pulled into a hug, Belle didn't say anything to them, there was nothing she could say, these adults had literally over come hell to be there.  
“It wasn't that bad, Jay and Carlos had it way worse than me and Mal” Evie said as Belle hugged her.  
“You all suffered things no human should go through much less a child.”

Ben watched it silently, he saw the way Evie ran her thumb over her nails as if making sure they were still perfect. He watched Carlos cross his arm over his stomach and Jay reached up to rub his earring. He was used to the little things that told him those three were nervous, but he'd never noticed anything with Mal. A glance at his wife told him he had noticed it, but had the reason wrong. Her eyes glanced around faster than usual, Ben had assumed she was looking for danger, but she was really looking for her friends, her family.

“Why don't we go for a swim while waiting for King Bigmouth to wake up” belle suggested. Five heads nodded before they went to get changed, the Isle kids left some clothes at Belle's as well as Ben's because where one of them went the others usually followed, Adam had been right they did cling to each other.

They'd been in the pool for hours, Belle had the kitchen staff bring them snacks. Mal noticed there wasn't any bread at all and smiled, she really did love her mother and law. She knew what they did and didn't eat. As always there was a ton of fresh fruit, Evie had picked up an apple and looked at it, she took a bite and tossed it to Carlos who caught it without a second thought. One more little quirk they'd picked up, Evie always wanted an apple, but even fresh they tasted rotten to her. Carlos hated seeing food wasted, and really liked apples so he would eat it for her. Belle had just asked the staff to prepare dinner for them when Adam came out of the house. Belle looked up from her lounge, she wanted to believe the kids hadn't seen him, but she knew the four Isle kids had, they'd just chosen to ignore him in favor of trying to hold each other underwater.

“Hello dear, have a nice nap?” Belle asked with a smile.  
“Enlightening” he said sitting on the lounge next to his wife. “You have no idea what those four have been through”  
“Yes I do, I've actually spoken to them about the isle before. We talked about it more today while you enjoyed a first hand experience.” belle said as if it was obvious, “which memories did you get? We had some guesses but no real way to tell”.  
Adam looked at her, she always did have a thirst for knowledge, it shouldn't surprise him she wanted to know everything about her sons best friends and wife.

“Carlos was first, it was just his mother abusing him while he did an insane amount of chores” Adam started only to be cut off by his wife.  
“That was daily, was that the day she burned his hand, stabbed him or had her goons rape him?” belle said as if asking about the weather, she enjoyed seeing her husband turn pale.  
“She held his hand to the stove because her breakfast was cold. Then later he went into town and stole a loaf of bread from Jafar's shop, Jay caught him and it was...” Adam trailed off, he didn't have words for what he'd watched between the two boys.  
“Heartbreaking is the word you want.” belle said with little sympathy for her husband, she knew in the end he was the one that caused them to be there anyway. It was his fault he'd never even thought to look into life on the Isle.

“Yes it is, after Carlos was Evie, her mother is insane. She wouldn't let her go into town because she'd used aqua eye shadow instead of teal.”  
“I think you got a random Evie day; that was her daily life until she was sixteen. Maleficent had banished them for failing to invite Mal to Evie's sixth birthday party. Evie spent ten years alone with her mother and no one else” Belle told her husband. She watched Mal swim along the edge, she knew the other girl was listening in, but she swam back to her friends so assumed she was meant to fill in her idiot husband.

“After Evie was Jay, his father smacked him around after he failed to steal good enough things, he was little maybe four, Mal had stole a necklace from him which didn't seem to help, and then Jafar tried to use his mother to guilt the boy into doing better. After Jafar went upstairs he swore revenge. Mal's memory showed that he did get it” Adam said, he watched Mal seem to materialize on the edge of the pool and realized despite swimming and playing all four Isle no-longer-kids had been listening to every word.

“Mine was last, you got to see the day before we came here, when I choose my mother over them.” Mal said sitting next to Belle, the older winced at the memory, Mal had broken down crying when she tried to retell it, leaving the story to Jay instead.

Adam nodded and tried to find his voice. “I was wrong, the Isle was worse than I'd ever imagined. I stupidly thought your parents would raise you to follow in their footsteps. I didn't expect spoiled, but I didn't expect out right abuse or psychological mind games. I'm sorry I have refused to listen to you previously about your childhoods.”

“Ehh, we adjust” Mal waved off the apology, “I have to say though, you don't need to listen to our stories, we all have visible scars that tell the story almost as well as words”

Mal jumped when she felt a hand trace the scar on her shoulder, she looked back to see Ben and smiled. “I see you're getting better at being sneaky”  
“Nah, I think you just trust me more so I can get closer” Ben told her with a smile.  
“Impossible, I would never trust an Auradon brat” Mal said with her nose turned up, Adam was starkly reminded of the girl she'd been at sixteen.  
Ben smirked and picked her up in one fluid motion, his smirk had to have been learned from Jay. He ignored her squirming and stepped to the edge of the pool, “hey Jay, got a gift for ya!” he said before throwing her right in front of the thief, the splash hitting Carlos as well.

“They had a hard life, but in the end they're just human” Ben said before Mal broke the surface. As soon as she came up he cannon balled right behind her, making her spit out water and sputter through every curse word she knew. Ben came up and pulled her into a hug, “right love?”.

“I'm agreeing to nothing!” she said swimming away from him. “Except ohana” she said smiling at her friends. Three voices echoed 'ohana' back to her. Ben smiled, it was obvious they'd done that a thousand times before but he'd never heard it.

“It's small and it's broken but it's yours?” Ben said smiling at the infamous line.

“Exactly” four voices told him.


End file.
